Lost In Time Clocks In Metro Score

Forwardly placed, Lost In Time received a pocket ride, swung wide into the stretch and flew to the front to take the $816,000 Metro Pace at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday, September 23.

Leaving for the top moving into the first turn, Lost In Time yielded as Hayden Hanover blasted to the lead from post 10, going a :27.1 quarter before driver Scott Zeron circled Lost In Time to the lead into the backstretch. Stay Hungry, moving off the rail as Lost In Time took control, progressed to the front before the half, clearing in :55 as St Lads Neptune was flushed first over by Twin B Tuffenuff entering the turn.

Stay Hungry maintained control under pressure by St Lads Neptune at three-quarters in 1:22.4. St Lads Neptune faltered as Twin B Tuffenuff and Pedro Hanover, from third over, began to rally down the center of the track. Room opened for Lost In Time, as well as for Hayden Hanover, to tip off the rail and around Stay Hungry as he faded at the rail. Hayden Hanover challenged Lost In Time coming to the wire, settling for second as Lost In Time won in 1:50.1 with Pedro Hanover finishing third and Twin B Tuffenuff fourth.

A two-year-old colt by A Rocknroll Dance from the Artiscape mare Summer Mystery, Lost In Time, owned by trainer James Mulinix with partners Denny Miller and William Rufenacht, won his second race in four starts, earning $430,875. Driven by Scott Zeron, he paid $8.20 to win.

"This [win] makes up for [A Rocknroll Dance not winning the Metro Pace]," James Mulinix said. "I didn't have the experience back then, and he gave me the experience to do it with this horse. I had never raced at this level much in my life, but this was really exciting.

"I think I threw a lot at this horse - I could've went to the Kentucky Sires Stakes, but [A Rocknroll Dance] was well represented there, and I bought this horse just to show [people] that [A Rocknroll Dance] could do it. I'm really thankful and quite humble for the whole thing.

Lost In Time debuted on August 25 in a fair event, winning in 2:03.4 before finishing second in a preliminary for the Kentucky Sires Stakes and then again in his Metro Pace elimination.

"I like to have them ready before I race them. The younger guys - they like to race them into shape, but its awful hard to do that because they go so fast early. When you just got one, you can't afford to take a chance to hurt him, so I just took my time, let them beat each other up awhile and then we stepped in."

This was the second Metro Pace win for Scott Zeron, winning in 2014 with Artspeak.

"I knew last week, heading into this week, how great he was," Zeron said. "If I got anywhere near the same effort, we would be in good shape.

"I didn't anticipate Yannick [Gingras on Hayden Hanover] leaving out of there, but you have to think some things like that are going to happen in these major races. But I wanted to control the pace - at worst, sit in the two-hole, and it kind of ended up that way - two-hole trip worked out good.

"We beat some good horses. We weren't an elimination winner; there were three other elim winners, and I think we just had the best horse in the race with the best trip."

Commandeering the field before the quarter, Youaremycandygirl wired the field in the $500,000 Shes A Great Lady final in 1:50.4 at odds of 40-1.

Going the first quarter in :26.4, Youaremycandygirl led through a :55 half before undergoing pressure from Kissin In The Sand flushed first over moving into the far turn. Stalled as Youaremycandygirl paced three-quarters in 1:23, the pacesetter gained some separation while Kendall Seelster, sitting the pocket, waited to vault off the rail as Kissin In The Sand faltered into the stretch.

Kendall Seelster hesitated in her move after Youaremycandygirl through the stretch, angling wide approaching the eighth pole but managing to only chase as Youaremycandygirl crossed the line in front of the 4-5 favourite, with Come See The Show finishing in third.

Returning $82.70 to win, Youaremycandygirl, a two-year-old filly by American Ideal out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare Sweet Lady Jane, races for owner William Donovan, is trained by Ron Burke, and was driven by Louie Philippe-Roy. It was her fourth win in six starts this season, compiling $331,545 in earnings.

"I've learned a lot this year with young horses," Roy said. "I wasn't used to driving young horses back when I was in Quebec and Ottawa for the last few years, so I'd say, when I started driving young horses at the beginning of the year, I was probably one of the worst, but now I think I've grown a lot.

"Going into the last turn, she put in a bad step; she did the same thing around the first turn. I had a lot of horse in the last turn - I thought if I could get her around that last turn she'd be hard to beat. Heading to the gate, I was planning on racing her from behind, but I changed my mind pretty quickly because nobody was leaving inside of me, so I gave her a shot and she responded well."

This Is The Plan rallied from off cover to take the $50,000 Metro Pace Consolation in 1:51.1.

Positioned fifth heading to the quarter, This Is The Plan stalked a quarter contested in :27.1 by Trump That and Albergo Hanover, backing into the pocket turning into the backstretch. Shadow Moon, sitting third, anxiously edged wide to apply pressure to pacesetter Trump That through a :54.4 half, giving cover to Pro Beach and even-money favourite This Is The Plan circling the turn.

After a 1:22.4 third quarter, Pro Beach fanned off cover and overtook the dueling leaders in the stretch. This Is The Plan, wide of Pro Beach, charged down the center of the track, grabbing the lead into the eighth pole and drawing away to win. Pro Beach held second, Phil The Thrill closed for third, and Torrin Hanover finished fourth.

Breaking his maiden in the eighth start of his career, This Is The Plan, two-year-old gelding by Somebeachsomewhere out of the Western Ideal mare Thats The Plan, competes for owner-trainer Chris Ryder along with partner Robert Mondillo, and has earned $122,401. Driven by Tim Tetrick, he paid $4.00 to win.

A friend of mine , Thom Pye, spent the summer on the Northern Ohio Fair circuit. He wrote stories and took photos for the Horsemens Association , and the USTA web pages. He knows young horse. As a youngster ,working for Stanley Dancer, he was assigned as fulltime caretaker and traveller with a 2 year old filly nameed Mistletoe Shalee .
He always copied me on his stories. The clip that follows is noteworthy.

Hicksville (Ohio) report (August 25th) -

Jim Mulinix made an impressive debut with his, Denny Miller, and Bill Rufenacht's two-year-old colt Lost In Time as the Rocknroll Dance-Summer Mystery visited the Winners Circle on his very first appearance on a racetrack... and looked good doing it as he coasted his last quarter in :29.1 with a mile in 2:03.4h.

Less than 1 month before his big win in the Metro....thats some colt !

Jim,
Congratulations....we were cheering for you---sorry Bobby wasn't around to see it. Great to see you buying one yearling from A Rocknroll Dance's first crop and winning the Metro.
From, Kendra & Al